China races to bolster health system as COVID surge sparks global concern

That makes very depressing reading. It's like a prophecy is coming true. Hate to say "told you so" and "things could have been different" but there you go.

Long gone are the days of "well done" and all that trite inflammatory talk about the economy and low mortality and so on.

I hope things do not get as bad as what everyone is bracing for. Then they can get back to faux back-patting in their ivory towers at the expense of the inflicted.

That makes very depressing reading.

I was about to say the same thing.

But now it's obvious that there are huge amounts of breakthrough effections (sic)

From my understanding, the population has been so closed up, the infections are a result of not being boosted. As you know, vaccines tend to wear off over time. China vaxxed about two years ago with low-power domestic units. No proper followup booster program has been initialised until about two weeks ago! Crazy as it sounds, but true!

So I'm not sure if the cases you mention are breakthrough by the strict definition of the jargon. More to do with gross negligence and living in fantasyland.

I could be painfully wrong. if so, please don't ignore me and let me know. Thanks!

Let it take its course.

Foolish is as foolish does.

How astonishingly crazy, there were the same global concerns, when they still abided to their ZeroCovid policy, which then had to be given up due to those concerns and logically immediately leading to more cases now and the current global concerns.

Not long ago, people in the west were tut-tutting, criticizing China for the strict lock-downs and showing sympathy for those protesting against the lock-downs (including foreign agents working for western media, stirring the pot, and adding Xi to the mixture - which was a BIG giveaway). Now that the Chinese government listened to the people and did what they asked for (how many western governments listened to their protestors?), western media is again tut-tutting, criticizing and fear-mongering.

So what is it? Do you want A or B? Hot or cold? Left or right? Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Any excuse to write a dark story about China. And no, the Chinese are not dropping like flies - sorry to disappoint you.

Elvis is dead:

Foolish is as foolish does.

And you'd be saying the same thing had China not loosened restrictions.

Elvis is dead:

First, I hope the dead bit is a bad taste joke.

Foolish is as foolish does.

And you'd be saying the same thing had China not loosened restrictions.

Yes. Either way. Restrictions or not. China has messed up big time. If you are paying attention, my beef is the painful fact that they ignored to immunise the population with good vaccines from the start.

A result of their extended, severe lockdowns is that herd immunity among the local populace hasn't had time to develop and take hold. That's a possible reason for the surge. I hope they can find the necessary medical resources to plug the leak before things spiral out of control.

Knee jerk reaction by the CCP-govt would have been if planned better.

I remember when the US corporations all mandated their workers be vaccinated. Very few decided not to be vaccinated and lost their jobs. Everyone else got the shots, typically 90%+ effective mRNA shots.

When will the CCP make western vaccines available to Chinese people?

Have the Chinese vaccines been through public trials in China with all the data released for all to see yet? how will people trust when secrecy and lies are just the way the CCP works?

I don’t think it was knee jerk, I think the CCP painted themselves into a corner and needed a way out. With huge outbreaks already looming, and pressure from inside and outside to stop the economic bleeding, an abrupt end with at the request of the world and their own people was perfect for Leadership to save face. Unfortunately, the well being of the people has never been a driver for CCP COVID policy.

There are corroborated reports of overloaded morgues, funeral homes buying refrigerated containers, non-stop 24/7 cremation. Chinese media itself speaks of 2,700 dying in Beijing - in their homes, per day.

Don't tell me, the BBC. Eyes rolling. Why do people fall for this time after time?

Aaron:

Unfortunately, the well being of the people has never been a driver for CCP COVID policy.

They had a zero-covid policy to buy time until the deadlier variants were not so prevalent, unlike the west, led by USA, who just let it rip. The result: well over a million Americans dead. Symptoms and death rates are not as bad as before. But you'd love to see millions die in China.

By the way, it's the CPC. When someone says CCP, you know they're biased and uninformed. And the Chinese government never forced people to get the vaccine and vilify those who didn't get it. That's why more of the elderly need to get vaccinated. Compare that to the west where people were made to feel guilty for taking the vaccination.

Chinese media says, blah blah blah. Give me the link. And I don't mean BBC Chinese.

Don't tell me, the BBC. Eyes rolling. Why do people fall for this time after time?

Fall for what? Impartial and independent news?

Or are tea leaves and Yahoo the best news source?

@Pukey2 I am very aware the CCP prefers a new name now. I think you give them too much credit

Let's use facts. In the USA, 1.1M people died related to Covid. Is terrible and a tragedy. The best hope by world experts was that 650K would die in the USA, if they US had just done what the CDC knew to do, without the sitting President getting in the way, but working to provide emergency funding.

That idiot Trump decided to start his lies to help friends make money on bogus treatments and "cures". I hold him responsible for 400K US dead. Sadly, he'll never be tried for this crime. When he sidelined the CDC as the point-organization, we were lost: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/07/15/891351706/white-house-strips-cdc-of-data-collection-role-for-covid-19-hospitalizations I like to think that the USA death curve would look like the Canadian one, had the CDC been empowered. Sign.

Xi/CCP hold similar responsibilities for shutting down domestic travel in China, but allowing international travel for a few more months. He is also responsible for withholding medical information from the world and blocking access to that information for months after it was clear where the virus likely started. This is a crime against humanity.

The effort by China to "save face" killed millions around the world.

I hope that nobody in China gets sick or worse due to their govt making bad decisions and actively hiding the truth.